Konoha Village
Ever since the Sand Village's negotiation delegation departed Konoha, Team 7 had resumed their mission routine. Sakura, thankfully, no longer had Karin tagging along; Tsunade had made time in her schedule to personally oversee Karin's training.
As the saying goes, when the leader is idle, the subordinates are busy. Although Kakashi's long-term border patrol mission had concluded, he'd immediately been assigned other tasks and was temporarily unavailable to lead the team. Sasuke continued his training under the watchful eye of the Third Hokage. Jiraiya, however, wasn't currently mentoring Naruto and seemed to have vanished entirely, his whereabouts unknown.
Sakura herself was far from idle. Having been promoted to Chunin and possessing proven skills, she now undertook solo missions in addition to her team duties. With most of the village's Jonin preoccupied with reconstruction efforts or deployed on high-risk border defense assignments, the current crop of Genin were largely operating without dedicated Jonin leaders, taking on D-rank and C-rank missions independently.
Consequently, Sakura found herself increasingly busy. Whenever a suitable B-rank mission arose, Tsunade would often assign a few Genin for Sakura to lead, viewing it as an opportunity to further train the younger shinobi.
Sakura, however, wasn't entirely thrilled with this arrangement. On solo missions, the entire commission was hers. Leading teammates – especially peers from her own generation – meant sharing the payout. It wouldn't feel right not to share with her contemporaries, though if they were unknown Genin from other years, she probably would have kept it all for herself without a second thought.
It rankled Sakura that she was seemingly the only one from a civilian background in her cohort; the others hailed from prominent clans and weren't exactly short on cash. She worked her tail off earning that commission, only to have to split it with peers who were practically rolling in dough. The injustice stung.
Yet Tsunade consistently assigned her to lead these particular promising peers. Sakura understood the reasoning, of course. Children from influential clans were always prioritized for development, receiving greater resource investment. The village's resources weren't infinite; those with average aptitude received standard training, and their ultimate potential depended largely on their own efforts and luck. Talented individuals like Sakura, who showed promise early on, garnered special attention, even from the Hokage himself. That was the reality in every shinobi village.
Exhausted after a long day concluding a minor bandit-clearing mission, Sakura returned to Konoha ready to reward herself.
She showed no mercy towards bandits who preyed on civilians. Besides, the mission had provided a good opportunity to practice her self-styled 'split personality technique.' Yes, Sakura was determined, no matter how difficult, to overcome the feedback flaw of her Storm Release Clone. For now, that bizarre name was what she called the mental training required.
Following the irresistible, savory aroma of grilled meat, Sakura found her way to a Yakiniku restaurant. Fresh off a mission, she was ravenous.
She indulged, extravagantly ordering several plates of premium Ise Beef along with a selection of seafood, and immediately began to wolf it down.
Ise Beef was the highest grade of beef available in the Land of Fire. It came with a hefty price tag, being a specialty product of Ise Town in the Land of Tea. Legend had it that the town had specialized in cattle raising since the era of samurai, with the industry becoming a cornerstone of Tea Country's economy. The resulting quality was exceptional, highly favored by Daimyo across the lands. Konoha occasionally even received escort missions for Ise Town merchant caravans delivering the prized beef to various nations, particularly to other shinobi villages – after all, shinobi were generally better off financially than average civilians.
Once thoroughly satiated, Sakura patted her full belly contentedly and strolled out of the restaurant.
"Ah, that's top-grade beef for you! So delicious… hic…" Utterly unconcerned with decorum, Sakura ambled down the Konoha street, letting out a small burp while casually picking her teeth.
If this weren't a world so obsessed with fighting, Sakura mused, food would undoubtedly be her greatest passion. She silently vowed that upon retirement, she would embark on a culinary journey to sample every delicacy the shinobi world had to offer.
Lost in pleasant thoughts on her way home, her path was suddenly blocked by the appearance of an ANBU operative.
"Hic… What is it?" Sakura asked, immediately grumbling internally. Is Master Tsunade calling for me again? Odds are high.
"Yes, Haruno Sakura," the masked shinobi confirmed tonelessly. Sakura couldn't see his face, but she imagined an exasperated expression hidden beneath the porcelain.
"Got it, I'll head over right away," Sakura sighed, waving a dismissive hand. The ANBU vanished in a flicker. With a resigned sigh, she changed direction and headed towards the Hokage Tower.
Upon entering the Hokage's office, Sakura found three other figures already present: Hinata, Kiba, and Shino – Team 8.
"Ah, Sakura, you're here," Tsunade greeted her. "I have a mission for you."
"What mission?" Sakura asked, taking in the scene. They'd already assembled her team; there was no getting out of this one.
"You are to go to Red Shoal Island and assist the local populace in eliminating some troublesome creatures," Tsunade stated.
"Red Shoal Island?" Sakura repeated, confused. "Where is that? And what kind of 'creatures'?" She'd never heard of the place, and the target description was frustratingly vague.
"Red Shoal Island is located south of the Land of Tea," Tsunade elaborated. "It's rather isolated from the greater shinobi world; Tea Country is their only point of contact. This mission request actually came through Tea Country on the islanders' behalf."
"Uh-huh, okay. So, what are these creatures?" Sakura pressed.
"Details are scarce," Tsunade admitted. "However, based on the client's report, they're likely not shinobi, but they utilize Water Release techniques and are causing significant problems for the civilians. There's a possibility they might be some form of summoning animal."
"Summoning animals?"
"Mm. The reports also mention these creatures cannot communicate and have been stealing and eating the local Ise Beef."
"Hey, wait a second!" Sakura interrupted abruptly. "Red Shoal Island? I thought Ise Beef came from Ise Town in Tea Country?"
"Ah, about that," Tsunade said with a dismissive shrug. "My understanding is that Ise calves are shipped to the island shortly after birth to be raised. Once they mature, they're transported back to Ise Town for the final fattening process. Supposedly, there's a unique type of grass native to Red Shoal Island that significantly enhances the quality of the beef when the cattle graze on it."
"Then why don't they just ship the grass to Ise Town?" Sakura asked, genuinely curious.
"How should I know?" Tsunade snapped impatiently. "Forget the grass, let's focus on the mission. It's provisionally designated as C-rank. You will serve as team captain, leading Team 8. Be aware, due to the unknown variables, the mission rank could be elevated to B-rank at any point. Understood?"
Sakura's mind immediately jumped to finances. "Hold on! Doesn't that mean I could get the short end of the stick? If it becomes B-rank, the commission payout is drastically different!" Her eyes narrowed slightly as she started calculating potential losses.
Tsunade felt a familiar headache brewing as she observed the avaricious glint in her student's eyes. She's frighteningly like me sometimes, Tsunade thought wryly. She recalled Naruto's incredibly awkward compliment from not long ago – phrasing that reeked of Jiraiya's influence. The old adage really was true: like master, like student.
"You won't lose out, Sakura," Tsunade said, rubbing her temples wearily. "The Land of Tea is quite wealthy; they compensate well."
"Hmph. Alright then," Sakura conceded, nodding in satisfaction. "When do we depart?"
"Immediately."
"So soon?"
"The client expressed urgency."
"Right." Sakura turned to her newly assigned, temporary teammates. "Well then, Hinata, Kiba, Shino. Looking forward to working with you."
"L-Likewise, Sakura-san," Hinata replied politely, offering a small bow.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road, Sakura!" Kiba exclaimed eagerly, scratching behind Akamaru's ear. "Man, didn't expect you leading the team this time! I was totally planning on showing off my skills! Right, Shino?" "Woof!" Akamaru barked in agreement.
"I am relieved Sakura is leading," Shino stated flatly. "The reason being: Sakura is statistically stronger than you, Kiba."
"Hey!" Kiba bristled instantly. "You're really asking for it today, buddy!"
"N-Now, Kiba-kun," Hinata interjected timidly, trying to smooth things over. "I-I think you're very strong too…"
"Okay, okay, settle down," Sakura cut in, already scanning the mission scroll Tsunade handed her. Her eyes lit up slightly as she read the first objective. "Let's head out! Who knows," she added, a hopeful note in her voice as she noted they were to rendezvous with their contact in Ise Town first, "maybe we'll score some free Ise Beef while we're there!" She swallowed audibly.